With a chunk of their roster gone and a rookie left to shoulder the load at point guard, Brown could be in for a tough ride.

“I do think general manager Sam Hinkie and the ownership group is committed to the process and won't necessarily be judging him based off of wins and losses,” said an NBA scout who requested anonymity.

“If Brown does not live out his contract, it would likely be because Hinkie doesn't feel like they have gotten the most, development-wise, out of the assets that they eventually accumulate.”

One-and-done coaching crises have been seen before in the NBA and aren’t an uncommon occurrence. Following Phil Jackson’s departure from the Los Angeles Lakers in 2011, Mike Brown took the reins. Brown lasted 71 games before he was dismissed.

Sam Vincent was the second coach in franchise history for the Charlotte Bobcats. In his lone season, he finished with a 32-50 record and was given the boot after owner Michael Jordan praised him as a coach for the future. Mike Dunlap also led the Bobcats for a season before being released during their continued rebuild.

Even one of the Sixers coaching choices, Michael Curry, an assistant with the team, was a one-and-doner himself. Though he wasn’t as poor of a choice as others (39 wins and a first-round playoff exit) he still went through a rough patch after serving as an assistant for the Detroit Pistons.

Is Brown really the right choice for a team that’s likely to win fewer than 25 games in the first season of its rebuilding phase?

“It's hard to say,” the scout said. “Obviously, the success of San Antonio, both in terms of wins and losses as well as player development, gives Brown a solid resume. How much of that was due to Brown's direct influence, (Gregg) Popovich, (Mike) Budenholzer, or any of the other staff members… is impossible to know for sure. But focusing on a player development coach from a winning organization seems to be the right approach to take.”

Brown, who was originally reported as Sixers coach nearly two months ago, is a renowned player development coach who joined the Spurs in 1998 as a member of the basketball operations department. He rejoined Popovich’s staff in 2002.

The former Spurs assistant was named head coach of the Australian National team in March 2009. Brown was with the Spurs for their championships in 1999, 2003, 2005, and 2007.